Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p1.djvu/273

 April, the operations having been resumed, some more treasure was recovered in the small bell.

“The derrick was now nearly completed, the men having been employed in preparing the fittings for it when they were unable to work the small bell, and all hands were now occupied in reeving the purchase falls, and getting the chains and hawsers into their places on the cliffs of the cove. This was a work of more than ordinary danger, in consequence of pieces of rock being displaced from the sides of the cliffs, and falling among those employed below; and the danger was still further increased, from the rugged nature of the rocks allowing of no escape. Men were to be seen slung in ropes on all sides of the cove, busy in fixing the guys, &c. for the derrick, which happily was effected without any accident, from the judicious arrangements that had been made.

“The small diving-bell still continued at work, and on the 8th April, the men in it found themselves in the midst of a large quantity of provisions, the stench of which was so great, that the life of one man was endangered by it, and he was immediately removed from the bell. On the following day, the derrick being completed, it was launched into the harbour, and towed round to the cove. Being put into its place, and every thing prepared for heaving it up, this business was commenced; but the swell from the sea, which set into the cove, was so great, that it could not be done; and it therefore became necessary to tow it back again for safety to the harbour. The operation of towing so large and unwieldy a spar through a boisterous sea was most laborious, and the party employed underwent great bodily fatigue in performing it. On the 10th April, another attempt was made to get the derrick into its place, which was more fortunate than the preceding. After being again towed round, and placed in its step, the outer end of the derrick was hove up ten feet above the surface of the water, and secured. The next day, attempts were made to raise the outer end of the derrick higher by means of the purchases; but in consequence of its extreme length, and the number of pieces of wood with which it was constructed, it betrayed weakness, and more topping-lifts were found necessary for its support. These were speedily completed, and the end of the derrick was at length hove up 55 feet from the surface of the water, at a sufficient angle to secure its stability. A very short time after this, the wind freshened and produced a swell, which would have put a stop to the operations; but the derrick was now secure. The seamen had undergone greater labour and privation in these three days than at any other period of the operations; and such was the importance of making the most of the few days of fine weather, that they had worked throughout the two last from 4-30 until late at night, without taking any refreshment. To them and their able commander it was a joyful sight to see the derrick in its place; and, having made every thing secure, they returned to the harbour prepared to resume their arduous duty on the following morning.

“The next step was to suspend the large diving-bell in a manner that